Past Lives: The Fall of the Western Roman Empire
by Jet556
Summary: There came a time when Rome divided between the West and the East. Ultimately, the West started to crumble while the East remained strong against the invading barbarian hordes. Then came the Fall of the Western Roman Empire.
1. ACT I

**DRAMATIS PERSONAE**

The Invulnerable Radagaisus, King of the Goths (Randy's past life)

The Beautiful Kreka, Radagaisus' consort (Theresa's past life)

The Wily Fritigern, a Gothic chieftain (Howard's past life)

The Treacherous Saphrax, a Greuthungi chieftain (Stevens' past life)

The Magister Militiae Nepotianus, a Roman general (Niall's past life)

The Jealous Valens, "Roman Emperor" (Ken's past life)

 **ACT I**

 **SCENE I**

 _Rome. "Palace of the Emperor."_

The Roman Empire had divided between the west and the east long ago. Now barbarian hordes were coming in from Germania and the Steppes to conquer the divided nation that had conquered most of the world.

Valens was the Emperor of Rome, if one could call a person in such a day and age Emperor of Rome. With Rome divided there were emperors in the west and in the east but they were never one and the same. Valens considered himself to be the Roman Emperor simply because he was the most powerful person in both the west and the east, as if having been named for a past emperor was not enough. Due to this he was jealous of both Romulus Augustus and Zeno, rulers of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires respectively. A third fact was his actual residing in Rome since the West's capital was Ravenna and the East's Constantinople.

With his friend, a Magister Militiae by name of Nepotianus, Valens planned the defense of his "empire." He wanted the Goths, his most persistent enemy to be wiped out but was hesitant to do so as he had fallen in love with the sister of a Gothic chieftain named Fritigern, a wily fellow to be sure.

"I am torn, Neopotianus." Said Valens. "To defend my empire I want to wipe out my most persistent enemy but that would mean wiping out the people of the woman I love."

"Then marry her and leave the defense of Rome to others." Said Neopotianus.

"I can't leave this to others." Valens looked at Neopotianus as he sat in a chair. "The Goths are a threat and they must be taken care of yet I don't know how."


	2. ACT II

**Dramatis Personae**

Galla, Sister of Fritigern

 **ACT II**

 **SCENE I**

 _Camp of the Goths. Tent of Radagaisus._

The invulnerable Radagaisus as he was called had never been injured in combat. Because of this he longed to lay low Rome now that it had been divided since if he was truly invulnerable he could not be defeated. He did not think he could be defeated and thus defeat had never come to him.

His consort was Kreka, a Hunnic woman. This caused his friend, the wily Fritigern to be angry to no end. Did he find their own women so ugly that he chose one of a different race?

Fritigern was angry with his elder sister Galla as well. It was very much for the same reason he was angry Radagaisus except in reverse but with an additional reason. The object of Galla's affections was the false emperor of Rome: Valens, Fritigern's archenemy. For being love with a Roman, Fritigern would openly ask if she found their own men so ugly that she chose one of a different race, barely hiding his contempt for her being in love with his enemy and thus would beat her regularly but was wily enough to not go so far as to cause her serious injury. He wanted her to be able to walk when she fled Valens.

"Where is Saphrax?" asked Radagaisus.

"Late again." Replied Kreka. "That Greuthungi chief was supposed to have been here at sunset, it is already over!"

Fritigern could only glare. A Goth married to a Hun! It was barbaric!

"Do you know where Saphrax is, Fritigern?" asked Radagaisus.

"I'm not the keeper of non-Goths." Said Fritigern. "Why would I know?"

"I was only asking." Stated Radagaisus. As soon as he finished speaking, Saphrax entered.

"Valens is in Rome." Stated Saphrax. "He is no where near Ravenna, capital of the Western Empire."


	3. ACT III

**ACT III**

 **Dramatis Personae**

Odoacer, the Scirii who would call himself King of Italy

 **SCENE 1**

 _Ravenna. The Walls of the City._

The barbarians had come to sack Ravenna. The boy emperor Romulus Augustus would die. Radagaisus, Fritigern and Saphrax quickly found themselves under the command of Odoacer, the Scirii who would call himself King of Italy.

"I don't want him dead, you fools!" exclaimed Odoacer before the three who had fallen under his command. "He is only a boy of fifteen! I shall give him an annual pension of six thousand solidi before sending him to live with his relatives in Campania."

"Exile?" asked Radagaisus, in a most confused manner. "But why?"

"Because he deserves life, you invincible dolt!" Odoacer threw a rock at Radagaisus' head and Radagaisus' fell dead. "Hmm, how anti-climatic. I was expecting something a bit more like Achilles! An arrow in his one weak spot!"

Fritigern stared at Radagaisus' body for a moment. Then he looked back up at Odoacer. "Yes, well. Once we've sent Romulus into exile what then. Do we turn to Constantinople after that and crush the Byzantines?"

"Zeno is my ally, Fritigern." Stated Odoacer. "I have his fully support to be King of Italy and I shall be it in his name."

"You'd bow down to a Roman dog?" exclaimed Fritigern angrily.

"Zeno is no dog! He is my friend! The Western Roman Empire has been crumbling for the past seventy-four years. The Eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire it is properly called you know full well, is in full agreement that it needs replacing. Besides, Zeno is only my friend so long as I am not equal to him in power…"

Fritigern nodded, understanding was Odoacer was saying. "Yes, and the would-be ruler of all Rome, Valens… What of him?"

"I care not about him." Answered Odoacer. "My concerns lay with Romulus and after him Zeno someway down the line and of course that Ostrogoth upstart Theoderic!"


	4. ACT IV

**ACT IV**

 **SCENE I**

 _Rome. "Palace of the Emperor."_

When Galla came running into the "war room" of Valens' "palace", there was much shock from Valens and Neopotianus with both having a different reason. For Valens his shock came from the thought of what possibly could cause his beloved to come here. For Neopotianus it was out of worry of where the barbarians were marching.

"Galla!" exclaimed Valens, wrapping his arms around Galla and caressing her orange hair. "What is the matter? Why such worry upon your face?"

"Odoacer marches upon Ravenna." Stated Galla. "My brother and Saphrax serve under him."

"And Radagaisus?" asked Neopotianus.

"He is dead." Replied Galla. "Killed by Odoacer."

"Slain by Odoacer!" exclaimed Neopotianus. The look of fear on his face was one to be believed. Never had Neopotianus shown such a look for fear before! "If Odoacer has slain the invulnerable Radagaisus then what hope do we have coming to the defense of Ravenna?"

"If God is with us then we shall defeat the barbarians and Rome shall be at peace with me as its emperor!"

"Will you wake up?" Neopotianus grabbed Valens by the tunic. "The Rome you dream of is gone! It's been gone for centuries! Soon the West will be dead and all that remains shall be the Byzantines! The Rome of Caesar is the glory of the past. We must turn from that as Byzantines."

"I will not turn away from this empire that has conquered most of the known world!" countered Valens. "If I do that then I'll hear the mocking of the long dead Pharaohs of Egypt, the Emperors of China, the Kings of Ireland! I will not let them mock me!"

"Valens…" Galla placed a hand on her love's shoulder. "If you do something or do nothing a difference might not be made. Odoacer is strong and so is his army. All that I want is for us to be together."

"And yet I can't just turn away from my people." Said Valens. "I shall ride to Ravenna, alone or with Neopotianus' men but I shall ride their nonetheless."


	5. ACT V

**ACT V**

 **SCENE I**

 _Ravenna._

When Valens and Nepotianus arrived at Ravenna with a large battalion. They were too late. Ravenna was now under the rule of Odoacer. The Western Roman Empire had fallen.

Dismounting from his horse, Valens fell to his knees. It was then he realized that he was just someone with an ego. He was not the Roman Emperor. Romulus Augustus for all he knew was dead meaning there was no longer an Emperor in the west. Now there was only Zeno in the east, the Byzantine Emperor.

"You were right, Nepotianius." Said Valens. "The Rome I dreamt of is dead. It has been dead since before I was born. Romulus, for all I know is dead and now Odoacer is the King of this… new kingdom… this Italy!"

"What shall you do now, Valens?" asked Nepotianus.

"Politics and military matters bore me." Stated Valens. "They always have. I always felt an obligation to them because of who I thought I was. I'm not the Emperor. With Odoacer now ruling here that means Zeno alone is the Emperor. I guess I'll take a look at the arts, return to Rome, to Galla. Live a life that needs living."

 **The End**


End file.
